As an entrepreneur, you already know that efficiency and security are two of the most important considerations you need to focus on today.
It’s no secret that as tech progresses, so does its dark side. With access to fast internet speeds through fiber internet and 5G, and hackers using advanced techniques to access sensitive information for personal or financial gain, it makes implementing cybersecurity measures a great investment for any business, regardless of its size.
You also have a lot of options when it comes to boosting your efficiency, such as using quantum computing, for example. But there’s just one problem, my friend: the relationship between current cybersecurity measures and quantum computing is a complex one.
In this article, I’ll explore the relationship between these two technologies by diving into the following aspects:
What is a Quantum Computer?
Most Common Cybersecurity Measures Used Today
Exploring Quantum Threats to Data Security
The New Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Era
Investing in Post-Quantum Cryptography
Challenges of Developing Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Frameworks
Let’s begin!
What is a Quantum Computer?
To put it simply, a quantum computer is a computer that has even more advanced processing power compared to the supercomputers that we currently use.
As the name implies, these computers use quantum mechanics principles to increase their processing power and support advanced algorithms. The problem is that these advanced algorithms can easily crack through current cybersecurity measures.
Let me explain a bit about how quantum computers work.
Quantum computers are not based on the classical bit system of zeroes and ones. Instead, they use qubits based on polarized photons (light). This significantly speeds up their processing power.
This higher processing power and ability pose a threat to current cybersecurity measures. Let me give you a brief overview of some of the common cybersecurity measures being used today, as this will help you understand how they’re affected by quantum computers more easily.
Most Common Cybersecurity Measures Used Today
Cybersecurity is an umbrella of strategies that you can use to protect sensitive data or finances against issues like:
- Online attacks using malware or spyware.
- Easily breakable passwords or misplaced information.
- System and software flaws or weaknesses.
To protect against these factors, businesses use certain measures. I’ve shared a few of the most common ones below.
- Using Antivirus Software: These are third-party software programs that you install on your devices. They can detect, prevent, and remove different types of malware from your devices.
- Setting Up Firewalls: A firewall is a network security system that oversees and regulates the incoming and outgoing traffic on your network based on security rules you define.
- Creating Strong Passwords: Strong and unpredictable passwords are always a simple yet effective way to prevent unauthorized access to your networks.
- Using Two-factor Authentication: 2FA adds another security layer to your system by requiring at least two methods of identification.
- Encrypting and Backing Up Data: Encrypting your data means converting it into a code to prevent unauthorized access. Backing up data means storing it on safe and reliable backup servers, like cloud servers.
- Regularly Updating Your Systems: Regularly updating your systems means installing new and improved versions of software, programs, and applications. This can help improve performance, fix bugs, level up security, and allow integration with newer devices or software.
Now that you’re clear of the most common cybersecurity measures, let’s take a look at how quantum computing impacts cybersecurity.
Exploring Quantum Threats to Data Security
Like I mentioned earlier, the threat lies in the advanced processing power and problem-solving abilities of quantum computers. These factors allow them to bypass cybersecurity measures in the following ways.
Breaking RSA Encryption
RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) encryption is an encryption method that uses a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.
Quantum computers use advanced algorithms that allow them to quickly perform integer factorization, which is the breakdown of composite integers into prime numbers. This puts key encryption methods such as RSA, and even others like DH (Diffie-Hellman), and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography), to name a few, out of practice.
Reducing Digital Data Integrity
With quantum computers, cybercriminals can easily replicate digital forms of identification, such as electronic signatures. This could allow them easy access to sensitive documents, which can then be further manipulated or falsified.
Decrypting Protected Data
Not all cybercriminals are in a rush; some are patient and look at the bigger picture. They could store data now and wait until quantum computers become even more advanced than they already are to decrypt it. This phenomenon is sometimes known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later, and it makes ensuring long-term data confidentiality difficult for businesses.
Attacking Blockchain Weak Points
As advanced and secure as blockchain is, it is no match for quantum computers. This is because most blockchain networks use cryptographic algorithms, which are unfortunately sitting ducks against quantum attacks. This can diminish the currently developed security and trust that people and industries place in blockchain.
Compromising IoT Security
The Internet of Things is where you use internet near you to synchronize a network of devices and carry out specific tasks, like smart homes, for example. The devices in this network also use lightweight cryptography, which, like blockchain, may be prone to attacks.
Compromising Secure Communication Channels
HTTPS, VPNs, encrypted apps, and more that we currently consider secure communication channels can be easily decrypted with quantum computers. This puts both internet usage and confidential information transfer over the internet at risk.
Attacking National Infrastructure
A lot of different organizations from both the private and public sectors, such as finance, medicine, and government organizations, use cryptography to protect their operations. Being prone to quantum attacks can cause disruptions to a fully established infrastructure.
Risk to Global Security
A lot of nations do not currently have the basic digital infrastructure to battle quantum computers. While these countries are at direct risk themselves, other countries can also become victims of manipulation, leading to political risks and uneven power dynamics.
Pretty alarming, right?
The silver lining is that there are certain steps we can take to reduce the effect and frequency of quantum attacks. The next section explores them.
The New Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Era
Quantum computing cybersecurity is the future of data protection. It refers to advanced post-quantum cryptography measures that will redefine cybersecurity in the quantum era, which is not that far ahead. Some even say it’s already begun.
Either way, investing in post-quantum cryptography can help us achieve quantum computing security.
Investing in Post-Quantum Cryptography
As I mentioned above, many networks and systems use cryptography, which is not very helpful against quantum attacks. Post-quantum cryptography, also known as quantum encryption, is an advanced form of cryptography that uses quantum-resistant algorithms and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to potentially prevent quantum computers from bypassing code.
This can once again solidify trust in digital identification and data. Let’s explore what quantum-resistant algorithms and quantum key distribution are and how they can help us achieve this level of quantum computing cybersecurity.
Quantum Resistant Algorithms (QRA)
Unlike the traditional algorithms current cybersecurity systems use, Quantum Resistant Algorithms are designed to withstand the power of both current and future quantum computers. These algorithms use math problems presumably unsolvable by quantum computers, giving your security systems an edge.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
Quantum Key Distribution is a method to ensure secure communication channels in the quantum era. The method distributes cryptographic keys between two communicating parties, allowing them to send encrypted messages to each other. With QKD, the security and integrity of online data and communications can be maintained.
While experimenting with these solutions can be rewarding, there are certain challenges that we may face. Let’s explore some of the most concerning ones.
Challenges of Developing Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Frameworks
In our journey to become equipped against quantum attacks, there are certain challenges that arise, with computational support and transition being the most pressing ones. I’ve broken them down in more detail below.
Computational Support
While quantum computers can lead you toward higher efficiency, they require a lot of computational power, energy, and memory. Being unable to provide the needed level of each of these resources can result in poor efficiency, instead of the other way around.
Integrating Current Systems
To put quantum computing cybersecurity measures in place, you will need to first transition your existing systems to post-quantum cryptography. But for that, you first need to make sure they’re compatible with it, and that can take quite a while, as you will need to introduce new standards.
Quantum Computing Cybersecurity – The Future of Data Protection
Many say the quantum era has already begun, and just like any business, you’ll have to adapt, overcome, and fight fire with fire to keep your operations alive.
While quantum computing is a threat to current cybersecurity measures, it can be your biggest ally in developing future-proof cybersecurity systems.
That being said, the adoption of quantum computing cybersecurity measures is dependent on collaboration, the availability of resources, and further innovation. Blending these elements can take us one step closer to the future of data protection.
